


This Isn't a Fairytale

by thereisnowyou



Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Bipolar Disorder, Bipolar Ian Gallagher, Childhood Trauma, Domestic Ian Gallagher/Mickey Milkovich, Endgame Ian Gallagher/Mickey Milkovich, Family, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Self-Harm, Suicide Attempt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-11
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-15 05:00:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 11,580
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28682961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thereisnowyou/pseuds/thereisnowyou
Summary: Ian is a young single dad trying his best to raise his daughter with the help of his siblings and Mickey is a loner trying to heal from a traumatic upbringing. When their path's cross and the chemistry is undeniable for both of them they have to find a way to work through their own issues and figure out if they want to try and be a couple and a family.everything is mostly canon compliant aside from Mickey and Ian knowing each other and the whole gay Jesus thing never happened.
Relationships: Ian Gallagher & Mickey Milkovich, Ian Gallagher/Mickey Milkovich, Lip Gallagher/Tami Tamietti
Comments: 37
Kudos: 135





	1. Magnetic

**Author's Note:**

> Hi all! this idea wouldn't leave my head so i decided to put it to paper and see what happens. let me know what you think!

Ian sat there in the hospital holding he newborn baby in his arms, her big blue eyes staring up at him and bright red hair sticking out of the hat on her head. This was not planned, the beautiful baby in front of him the result of a hook up that he couldn’t even remember he was so drunk, which he was gay so that was really saying a lot as is. Her mom had left her, signed all her rights away and so now Ian was sitting there, 22 years old with a newborn daughter. 

The nurse came in and asked him what her name was and let him know his family was outside, not so patiently waiting to come in.

“Molly, Molly Grace Gallagher”

“That’s a beautiful name,” she said before leaving and letting in the wave of Gallagher's who were all immediately cooing over the little girl in his arms

**

That day had been eight months ago and in those eight months so much had changed that Ian hardly recognized his life or himself. His siblings had really come thru for him whether it was in baby sitting or hand me downs from Franny and Fred. Ian’s life was all about work and taking care of Molly. He was barely holding on and barely stable, dutifully taking his pills everyday and going through the motions to give his daughter a better life than he ever had. 

He walked past the mirror as he got Molly ready for the day, he barely recognized himself. He was a shelf of his former self, dark sunken eyes and no emotion behind them. He sighed and dressed Molly in her pink dress that had been Franny’s. He pulled on her adorable little baby glasses that fit around her head like goggles and smiled, pressing a kiss to her forehead before heading down stairs to grab coffee.

As he made his way down the stairs Debbie, carl, Liam, Lip and Tami were all starring at him.

“uh why do I feel like I walked into an intervention”

“You kinda did” Lip cracked

Tami grabbed Molly and took her over to wear Fred and Franny where while Debbie pointed at a chair, 

“sit Ian”  
Ian slowly took a seat at the kitchen table.

“look dude, you can’t keep doing this, you’re an amazing dad but you need to like go be a human being again too”

“What do you mean?

“Dude, we aren’t blind,” Carl said and Ian knew if even Carl, who was well Carl, had realized how much Ian was treading the line between stable and a depressive episode, well that meant it must be pretty bad.

“So,” Debbie started as she walked around to sit down with her brothers, “Friday night you’re going out and you’re not going to worry about coming home and you’re going to trust that between the five of us that Molly is safe”

“Ian went to argue, but they were all Gallagher’s, and he knew it would be useless, and Tami wasn’t even a Gallagher but that kind of scared him more. So, he just looked at his siblings annoyed, but also grateful for how much they cared about him and his daughter.  
“only if you send me a photo and update every hour”

He watched his siblings have a silent conversation before Liam spoke up, “That’s fine but only texts no calls, you have to try and live for more than just molly, Ian.

“Ian took a deep breath, because he knew that his siblings were right, and he smiled “I love you guys”

“We love you too and we love Molly man, we just want both of you to be happy” Lip said, and he pulled Ian into a hug that turned into a Gallagher group hug.

**

Mickey rolled over and hushed his alarm. He sighed and rubbed his face taking in the silence the engulfed his apartment. It was just him. 25 and all alone, he had gotten away from his family which was more than he ever thought he would get but he was all alone now. A one bedroom apartment, no phots and barely any furniture and completely bare walls but at least he was away from the abuse. Though he had learned that moving away didn’t take away the scars he had started trying to heal from his upbringing. 

Today was his average Friday, work at the shop and then he’d come home shower and go to the fairytale, just going was something he never thought he’d have in him to do. Over the last few months, he had worked his way up to letting guys buy him drinks and last week he even danced with a few guys. It wasn’t anything crazy, but Mickey was 25 and just finally learning how to be happy and live so for him it was a big step in the right direction.   
He got up out of bed and made his coffee in his kitchen with one stool at the bar, one of everything, it was all he needed. The loneliness was there but he was so relieved just to be free that even though the single mug un the cupboard brought him some sadness that fact that there was no sign of his father on this apartment made it all worth it.

**  
It was Friday and although what his siblings had proposed was great and he trusted them completely it still killed him to leave the little girl that he loved so much. But despite his protests for just ten more minutes before he left, Debbie had shoved him out the door and by the time it was eight he was at the fairytale. 

The fairytale, a place Ian had once frequented, now felt like an entirely different world and he felt like he no longer knew how to act. He was surrounded by beautiful men and booze, but he really couldn’t think of anything other than molly. He figured he might as well get a drink, maybe that would loosen him up a little he guessed. He walked towards the bar and found himself immediately drawn to a man who was sitting by himself at the end of the bar. He was beautiful pale with dark hair and eyes so blue that Ian felt frozen in place.

Mickey sat at the bar; it took a few drinks before he could even look at another guy. He looked up from his beer to this tall ginger kid staring at him with wide eyes. Fuck was this guy beautiful, tall and pale with this bright red hair and these green eyes. Mickey had never wanted to go up and talk to a guy so much in his life but fuck that wasn’t him, so he just looked back down at his beer and feigned disinterest.

Ian noticed the eye contact and the almost shy way the other man had looked down at his drink. Maybe it was because he hadn’t been out anywhere in so long or maybe it was just how beautiful this guy was, but Ian just went right up and sat next to him ordering a beer. He was grateful for the decision. Allowed him to get a better look at the guy. He was small, short with dark hair and a furrowed brow. He looked down to see tattoos that said fuck u-up on the man’s knuckles. Despite the aggressive ink the man mostly just looked kinda scared.

Mickey was internally panicking, the ginger kid had fucking sat right next to him and he really had no idea what to do next, was he supposed to fucking say something? This mad was too damn beautiful to be interested in southside trash like him. He heard the guy order a beer and then look down at his phone real quick and smiling. Maybe he was waiting for his boyfriend or something, he couldn’t be possibly be interested in him.

Ian ordered his beer and looked down at the photo Liam had sent him of molly in her pajamas after her bath. He put his phone away and looked at the guy next to him, “Hey I’m Ian” he said as casually as possible. The guy looked at him with a sort of deer in headlights but trying to play it cool at the same time face  
“Uh I’m Mickey”  
Mickey was shocked, he had never given his name to any guy here ever before but there was something about this fucking ginger that made him want to.  
“So, uh what do you do?” Ian really had no idea what he was doing or when this became so hard but maybe he was just out of practice or maybe just too drawn to mickey for his own good.

“I’m a tattoo artist downtown, you?”

“Uh EMT”

“Nice”

“So, uh what brings you here?”

“the same thing that brings most of these fucking twinks here I guess, what about you?”

“My siblings forced me”

Mickey didn’t know what to say, he’d never felt like this before, like he wanted to just ask Ian to come home with him now, he’d never done that with anyone ever. They sat in an awkward silence for a minute more before mickey looked at Ian and spit out as quick as possible, “Do you wanna go back to my place?” and before he was even done with his sentence Ian had said yes

The door closed to Mickey’s apartment and no sooner were his and Ian’s lips crashed together as they shed all of their clothes and made their way to Mickeys room. Mickey honestly wasn’t really sure what the fuck he thought he was doing. He never brought people back to his apartment, this was his space his only safe space honestly. But there was just something so magnetic about this fucking ginger. Ian couldn’t believe he was doing this. Part of him wanted to check his phone and see how molly was but every other part of him wanted to spend his night with mickey, who he barely knew but couldn’t pull himself away from.


	2. Almost Kisses

Mickey woke up the next morning for the first time in his life sharing his bed with a man. Ian had his arm around his torso and their legs were a tangled mess. Mickey couldn’t have moved if he wanted to, and he didn’t want to. Despite his happiness though he still felt a panic, what if everything was different in the morning now that they were sober. What if Ian really did have a boyfriend like he’d thought. He had no idea who this guy was aside from a beautiful EMT and Mickey was not someone who had beautiful things in his life.

Ian stirred in the bed next to Mickey, he could feel the warmth of the smaller man radiating against his chest and even though every part of him screamed to look at his phone and see updates on Molly he just needed to stay like this for a while longer. He really had no clue who this guy was, he just knew that it seemed like something in the universe told him he was supposed to meet him last night. He opened his eyes and stretched a little, still keeping his arm around Mickey. 

Both men stretched more and turned to look at each other. Ian was smiling this really dopey smile that melted Mickey’s heart and Mickey looked so anxious that Ian was a little worried.   
“So uh I’d offer you coffee but I uh only have one mug..” Mickey trailed off a little, Ian’s smile didn’t falter though he just looked at him with these big green eyes and Mickey wasn’t sure what possessed but he continued speaking” But maybe you want to go get breakfast?”

“Yeah definitely, I just uh need to call my house real quick”

Ian shot up and mouthed bathroom to Mickey while holding his cell to his ear. Mickey pointed him in the right direction and even though he had it bad for those green eyes he was beginning to get afraid of what was hiding behind them. This wasn’t what Mickey did. He didn’t take guys home and let them spend the night and then ask them to breakfast. It wasn’t who he was. He was alone so he never hurt anyone and they could never hurt him. But something told him that those days might be coming to an end with Ian in his life. If Ian wanted to stay which he doubted he did but maybe he did but he also wondered what Ian was hiding from him.  
Ian walked into the bathroom, on his walk in taking in how completely barren Mickey’s apartment was. There was nothing personal in it at all, it practically looked like a showroom. As he closed the door Debs answered the phone.  
“Ian, we said no calling”

“I know but this guy asked me to breakfast and I know you guys said to go out but I want to check because she’s my daughter and I just have to check and make sure and I don’t wanna ruin any of you guys Saturday plans.”

“Ian you’re fine. Stay out as long as you want. We all have the day off, we all hoped this is what would happen. Please go have fun.”

“Thanks Debs, love you guys”

“Yeah yeah we love you too, now go!”

Ian quickly washed his face and went back to Mickey’s room to get dressed. Mickey was standing there already dressed and on his phone, he looked up when Ian came in and smiled at him. Once they were both dressed they went down and walked a few blocks to a local diner Mickey had become fond of. His usual waitress, elaine, looked at him with surprised eyes. He had never brought any one with him before ever.  
They were seated at their table and once they both had some coffee in them Ian started talking.

“I uh I had a lot of fun last night”

“Yeah me too”

“Maybe we could see each other again?”

Mickey was silent. This wasn’t what he did. Mickey did everything in his power to never put him self in a vulnerable position and nothing was more vulnerable than letting someone in. Still those green puppy eyes made him go against every instinct he had.

“Yeah I’d like that”

Ian’s smile has huge and goofy at those words, Mickey was terrified but something about that smile made him think that maybe things would be okay.

It was a pretty silent meal after that, neither man had realized how hungry that they had been. As the meal was winding down Ian gave Mickey his phone to put his number in and Mickey did the same. Mickey saw the adorable little redhaired girl that was Ian’s background, probably his niece he figured. When the check came Mickey paid, he didn’t even think twice about it. But once he had he did, did that mean this was a date? Mickey didn’t date.

They walked out of the diner and started walking till they were outside of Mickey’s apartment. Ian was continuing on towards the L and towards his house and he turned to say good bye to Mickey.

“So, I’ll text you and we can set something up?”

“Yeah, sounds good”

Mickey smiled and Ian leaned down to kiss him goodbye which was something Mickey absolutely did not do, and he immediately turned around and walked inside with out another word leaving Ian confused and a little hurt on the sidewalk  
**  
Ian got home a while later, and his mind was racing. The night and morning had been so good but then Mickey had just left him there without even a goodbye. Regardless of all that it didn’t matter because now he was home and as much fun as he had, he had missed Molly so much. He walked in to find her on the couch with Carl who was watching something that definitely wasn’t appropriate for a baby, but Ian was so happy to see his daughter that he didn’t even care.

He immediately scooped Molly up and she let out the loudest giggle before looking at Ian and going “Dada” as clear as day. Carl’s jaw dropped and Ian immediately started crying, any thought of Mickey and his failed kiss was long gone.

**

Mickey walked into his apartment slamming the door and immediately punching a wall before screaming into his pillow. He had fucked up. He fucking left Ian on the street with out a word because he just couldn’t fucking do it. He couldn’t kiss another fucking guy in public. What the fuck fairytale did Ian think this was.

He screamed again because Ian wasn’t living in a fairytale. He was living in the real world and that was a place Mickey was clearly never going to be able to be because he was still living everyday afraid of his dad killing him for being gay. He could feel the tears stinging his eyes as the flashbacks hit. The beatings he took from Terry had started when he was 4 and he came out in his mother’s shoes. They only got worse the older he got, Terry just knew something was different. When he caught him with a guy well that poor sucker ended up in the ER which is probably where Mickey should’ve been too after what happened to him. 

He got up and went to the kitchen and poured himself a drink. He was never going to have a happy ending and the sooner he accepted that, the better.

**   
Ian was upstairs with Molly who was napping in her crib and he was on his phone just wasting time playing video games. He couldn’t get Mickey off his mind. Maybe he had been overzealous? He had no idea but he needed those blue eyes back in his life again and sooner rather than later, so he decided to text him.

Hey Mick, sorry about earlier, I’d love to see you again

**

Mickey heard his phone buzz and read the text from Ian. He had fucking left him standing there and this kid still wanted to fucking see him again. Mickey couldn’t believe it, almost didn’t want to to save himself but he couldn’t help but text him back.


	3. Accidental Confessions

Ian loved his job, he really did. It was something he was so close to losing because of his bipolar but he was able to keep it and he loved being able to help people. Still even then no matter how much he loved his job he spent most every shift counting down the minutes till he was back home with Molly. Today however he was counting down the minutes till he was seeing Mickey again. He was going to the shop where he worked which was something that was really exciting to Ian. He could see Mickey and his art. Hell maybe he’d get a tattoo there at some point if this shit went well, what ever this was.   
He was finishing his shift, and apparently staring off into space because his coworker Kaci hit him on the arm, “Gallagher what the hell is up with you today, your heads in the fucking clouds”

Ian laughed, he loved Kaci, they had been working together for a few years and she was like another aunt to Molly, one of the few friends he had outside of his siblings, Kev and V. 

“I’m meeting up with this guy after work”

Kaci squealed, “Ian Gallagher!! You have been seeing a boy and KEEPING IT FROM ME?!”

Ian laughed, “I wouldn’t call it that, we hooked up and got breakfast but then he walked away when I tried to kiss him, so I don’t know what the fuck this is. Just that there’s something magnetic about him”  
Kaci raised her eyebrows at him, “Only you Gallagher”

** 

Mickey had never been so nervous for someone to come and see him at work. Fucking no one ever did. His life was simple work home and then The Fairytale on Friday nights. It was boring and lonely, but it worked for him. The only people he talked to were Rylie, the girl who owned the shop and the only other artist there and then her wife, Carly who worked at the front desk and handled the business side of everything.

He was sitting in his room biting his lip when Rylie walked in and gave him a once over, “The fuck has you so nervous, and quiet, Milkovich”

Rylie and Carly were really the only people he talked to or who knew much about him. Still, he felt weird telling her that a guy was visiting him at work, that was fucking unheard of in the world of Mickey Milkovich.

“Uh I hooked up with a guy last weekend and he’s coming here when he gets of work to see me and then we’re getting dinner”

“CARLY, did you fucking hear that!! Mickey HOOKED UP WITH A GUY and wait for it HE’S COMING HERE”

Carly came running from up front and Mickey was suddenly rethinking his decision to have Ian meet him at work.  
“Tell us everything” Carly said as she whipped around the corner and Mickey quickly got to telling them about Friday nights events and how he had left Ian high and dry, but Ian had STILL texted him that night.

Both women were in shock, partly that Mickey hooked up with a guy and was seeing him ever again and that he was even daring to have him come to the shop but even more that this guy had been left high and dry and still came back for more.

**  
Ian was smiling at the photos of Molly that carl had sent him. She was in his favorite outfit of hers, pink overalls with a white shirt underneath and her curly hair held back with a bow. He smiled as he put his phone in his pocket. He was outside the shop and he was so fucking nervous. He opened the door and a bell chimed. At the desk was a girl with blond hair that was pink at the bottom. She smiled at him excitedly and Ian had an idea that she might have known he was coming.

“Hi uh I’m looking for Mickey?”

She pointed down the hall, “Second door on your left! I’m Carly by the way!

“Ian” he smiled and headed down the hall, Mickey’s door was open, and he knocked gently on the door frame.  
Mickey looked up from the sketch he had been working on, but not really because he had actually just been staring at it for the last two hours anxious for Ian to arrive. He smiled and greeted Ian telling him to come in. Ian immediately was drawn to the art on the walls.

It was all beautiful, dark but beautiful. Ian thought that maybe that’s how Mickey was, dark but beautiful. He had seen all of him and all of his tattoos that he had covering a large portion of his body were dark in nature, even aggressive. But every piece of art on him was beautiful.

Once Ian was done looking at every single drawing and tattoo in Mickey’s room, they headed out to get dinner. It was just a local burger joint but both men were incredibly nervous. They had walked the two blocks and sat down. They had both ordered their drinks and Ian decided he wanted to learn more about Mickey and his dark art.

“So, what got you into tattooing?”

Before Mickey could answer, which to be fair he didn’t even know how to, Ian’s phone rang, and he picked up. Mickey could see the immediate panic wash across his face. He hung up quickly and jumped up. He threw down a twenty-dollar bill and with panic in his eyes turned to Mickey.

“I’m sorry my daughter busted her head open and so I have to go home and take care of her I’m sorry. I’ll text you”

He practically ran out of the restaurant and Mickey was left alone and confused. Had Ian said daughter? He was clearly gay and only like twenty-two. Did he also have a wife or girl friend he was hiding? Why had he never mentioned having a fucking kid? Mickey didn’t know any of the answers and wasn’t sure if he ever would. Would Ian really text him now?  
He decided to get a burger to go and head home. He had gone no contact with his entire family, all of them but one that was. He didn’t talk to her often, but he knew that he needed to call his cousin. She’d at least give him some good advice.

**   
Ian came barreling into the house. The cut wasn’t horrible, and Debbie and Carl had the bleeding mostly under control with a cool towel. The only issue was that Ian was the EMT who actually had the ability to help. He ran upstairs and got the supplies what he needed before he took to work cleaning up Molly. It was a gash on her forehead from the edge of a table. She was a Gallagher, so she’d be fine, they’d all done it, but Ian was well Ian so he was still so careful and precise while he cleaned and bandaged her up.

Once she was all bandaged up, he held her close to his chest. Carl grabbed them both a beer and slid Ian’s to him.

“Sorry about interrupting dude it was just so much blood”

“don’t even worry about it, Molly always comes first for me.”

He took another sip of his beer as Lip walked into the kitchen. 

“I know, we all also know how big a deal it is for you to be out in the world even a little bit again”

“What happened?” Lip asked, clearly, he hadn’t checked the family group chat

“Molly cracked her head on the table so I had to call Ian while he was on his date so he could patch her up”

“Oh, how’d the guy take that?”

“Fuck”

Both his brothers looked at him confused. “care to share, Ian?” Lip asked

“So, when I was leaving, I told him why but I never told him I had a daughter before then”

“You didn’t tell the guy that you have a kid?”

“Look it’s not really to be like hey I’m gay and twenty-two but also I have an eight-month-old daughter”

“He’s not wrong there,” Lip said laughing at the predicament his brother was finding himself in


	4. I need to explain

Ian had no idea what the fuck to say to Mickey or how to even explain this shit to him. He also wasn’t too glad that he had too. Having a kid at 22 as a gay guy was probably the quickest way to scare off another guy and even though he loved Molly more than anything he also wanted to keep her private. Not just because it was the quickest way to lose any guy but also because he didn’t want to give her a childhood filled with random men and instability. He had an unstable childhood and all he wanted was to give her the best one that he could.   
So, the day after he ran out on Mickey, he figured even though he had no fucking clue what to say that he needed to say something because he was so drawn to this guy that he couldn’t just throw this a way before he even gave it a chance

**

Mickey sat on his couch next to Sandy, both had a joint and a beer in their hands.   
“So, he has a fucking kid?”

“Fuckin yeah”

“And he’s gay?”

“I fucking thought so”

“Maybe he’s bi?”

“yeah or maybe and more likely he’s leading some double life and just wants to fuck me”

“what do you suddenly want more? Are you saying you want a relationship; with a guy you barely know?”

“Fuck off dude, I don’t fucking know what I want but I know I don’t wanna be some bored dad’s side piece”

“I mean that’s fair, but you said the sex was good”

Just then mickey’s phone buzzed

Ian: hey so uh sorry about yesterday.. I definitely owe you an explanation.. drinks on me tonight?”

“well look at that,” Sandy said snatching Mickeys phone away from him and typing back an agreement and sending it to Ian before her cousin, who she knew way to well, gave up on something that might actually be good for him.

**

Ian was surprised but thankful Mickey had agreed to drinks with him and so thankful to lip and Tami for agreeing to take molly overnight. He truly was beyond thankful for his siblings and how much they loved him and Molly. 

He got ready, trying to look nice but not too formal because it was drinks and he was about to explain to this guy that he actually really liked the fact that he had an eight month old daughter and really how well could that go. He made his way to The Alibi, it was a shithole but Kev and V were family and he was safe there.

**

Mickey wasn’t sure he should even go even though Sandy had decided for him that he was going he just didn’t feel like being let down like he knew he was about to be. Still, he got dressed in jeans and a black t shirt and walked down to the alibi, which was kind of a shit hole bar but at least it wasn’t some ritzy place that he definitely wouldn’t fit in at.

He walked in and Ian was already at the table with a beer and one waiting for mickey. He sat down across from Ian and could see the anxiety on Ian’s face.  
“Hi so uh I know I need to explain and I know this is the most awkward thing ever and I really didn’t plan to tell you this soon for a lot of reasons mostly because it’s weird and complicated but uh pretty much I was like really fucking out of it and I went to a party and got like black out drunk like I don’t even remember it and then like 3 months later this girl that I swear to god ive never met fucking comes to my work and is like yeah so fuck you, you got me pregnant. So, uh now I have an eight month old daughter and she signed over all her rights to me. I just don’t like know how to tell people that and I think it kinda kills the mood of a hook up and I want to protect her too but yeah.”

Mickey was pretty sure that Ian hadn’t taken a single breath in that entire explanation but all Mickey could do was laugh a little which earned him a mostly confused and semi relieved look from Ian.

“Fuck man I just thought you were some closeted guy cheating on his wife but that’s so much fuckin funnier”

“Fuck you,” Ian cracked a smile and Mickey was not sure what the fuck was making him want to joke around with this guy, because he was mickey and this wasn’t wat he did but there was just something about this fucking red head.

“I mean you have, but I don’t care that you have a kid man. This is just sex so like just live your fucking life and I’ll live mine and we’ll meet in the middle when the need arises”

He could tell that he had hurt Ian a little by saying that but Ian was also quick to jump up when he followed up his statement with an invitation back to his house.


	5. Night Terrors

It had been three months. Three months of Ian going to work, going home for dinner and to see Molly, always putting her to bed and then leaving her with one of his siblings to go see Mickey. They’d drink a beer or two and watch a shitty movie before they fucked until the early morning when Ian would slip out and go home to molly.

He’d be lying if he tried to say that he wasn’t completely head over heels for Mickey. Mickey who still hadn’t kissed him, almost never let him stay the night and Mickey who never talked about anything more personal than showing Ian a sick tattoo he had done that day at work.  
**  
It had been three months of seeing Ian pretty much every night. He rarely let him stay the night and never kissed him. He asked no questions and had never even seen a photo of Ian’s daughter. Still no matter how hard he tried to distance himself from Ian and keep it just fucking, he failed. He couldn’t help fall for the red head. He was everything Mickey had ever wanted but knew he could never have and truthfully he was just waiting for this to end in flames like everything else in his life.

Sandy told him that he needed to stop waiting for and looking for the bad in life and in people. Carly and Rylie told him the same. Everyone in his life could tell that even though he would never admit it that he was so fucking happy with whatever he was doing with Ian and they all fucking knew when it was a rare night Ian hadn’t come because he was a raging asshole the next day until he got his fix. They had all been watching this happen and the love grow for three months much to Mickey’s dismay.  
**  
It was three months. Three months with maybe five sleepovers since that first one but tonight was a Saturday and they had gone five rounds, Ian didn’t have the energy to leave and Mickey didn’t have the energy to make him so he shot a text in the family group chat and had gone to bed next to but of course not touching Mickey. 

The clock read two twenty-six when he woke up to Mickey screaming and shaking. He was crying in his sleep and was covered in sweat. Ian wasn’t sure what to do but he did the first thing he could think of. He took Mickey in his arms and held him to his chest, gently waking him up with the most soothing voice that he could manage.  
Mickey woke up and jolted himself away from Ian’s embrace as fast as he could and running off the bed and into the bathroom where Ian could hear him heaving into the toilet bowl. He wasn’t exactly sure what to do because Mickey hated anything more than fucking but Ian decided that he didn’t care because whether Mickey liked it or not he needed Ian right now. 

When he got to the bathroom Mickey was on the cold bathroom tile with his head between his knees. He was crying still, Ian could tell by the light shaking of his shoulders. He went into the kitchen grabbing a glass of water. He sat on the floor next to Mickey and silently gave it to him. Once it was about half gone he helped Hickey up and walked him to the bedroom, Mickey putting pretty much all of his weight on Ian. He got both of them in bed and pulled Mickey to his chest and even though he knew he might protest he placed a gentle kiss into the other man’s hair.

They sat like that, silent, for a while. Mickey didn’t know what to say or how to explain what had just happened. Part of Mickey wanted to yank himself away and tell Ian to fuck off, leave and never come back. But he knew Ian wouldn’t, he also didn’t think he could muster up words right now. Usually when this happened he would just stay there crying in the bathroom for a while before he crawled back into his bed alone. Even though he hated to admit it, laying in Ian’s arms with his head against Ian’s chest, was the safest he had maybe ever felt.  
Eventually Mickey had drifted off to sleep, in Ian’s arms but when he woke up the next morning Ian was no where in sight. Mickey could feel the tears rising in his throat, three months, that was all he got three months with this guy before he lost his mind and scared him away. Mickey was starting to spiral more and more when he heard the door to his room open and he looked over. There was Ian, goofy smile on his face, sweatpants at his hips with a dark green t shirt on.   
He walked over to Mickey, hesitant if Mickey would be as open to his comfort now that the night had passed but he figured he’d give it a shot. He sat down on the bed, smiling. He put his hand over mickey’s, he could feel him tense up at first but eventually relax, “Hey, I made some breakfast if you want some”

Mickey smiled up at Ian, this guy couldn’t be fucking real, he has helped him through an episode, held him all night and then woke up and made breakfast. Ian’s hand on top of his was comforting beyond anything he could imagine, and he gave Ian a small smile before speaking, “yeah thank you, that sounds amazing”

Mickey was honestly torn as he got out of bed, part of him wanted to make Ian leave and pretend like last night never happened but part of him wanted to just kiss Ian until he couldn’t breathe and never let him go. Still unsure with what he wanted to do he walked out to the kitchen where he found pretty much every breakfast food he could have though of laid out on his kitchen counter.

After a month of Ian coming over he had invested in a second plate bowl cup and mug and so both sets were laying out on the counter ready for the two men to have breakfast together.

“dude, where did you learn to cook like this?”

“I think it just comes with one of six kids”

“Wait you have five fuckin siblings?”

“Yeah and that’s just the ones we know of, hell I don’t even have the same dad as the five that I was raised with.”

“Fuck dude, that’s a lot of gingers”

“Only me and Debbie are gingers thank you”  
Mickey laughed, “Damn can’t believe you have five fuckin siblings”

“Theres a lot we don’t know about each other Mick”

Mickey grimaced at that, he knew what Ian was referring too, both last night and the fact that mickey refused to ever talk about anything personal

“About last night.” Mickey started

“Look, it’s okay, you don’t have to say anything and please don’t even try and apologize or anything like that, it’s okay. You don’t owe me any explanations”

“I know I don’t but I want to give you one, I want you to know”


	6. Daddy Issues

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is short but definitely a lot heavier and may be triggering as their are some depictions of violence and abuse and homphobia

Breakfast had been eaten and they were both sitting in Mickey’s bed again. Mickey wasn’t sure how to start or what to say. This was shit that he never shared with pretty much anyone. Sandy barely even knew the half of it and she was his fucking family. He sat there, Ian’s arm around his shoulder not sure where to start, praying he wouldn’t scare him away.

“My dad is kind of awful, you’re southside so you might have heard about him, uh Terry Milkovich”

Ian was shocked, Mickey was a Milkovich and not just any Milkovich, Terry Milkoviches son. Terry who was the biggest homophobe in maybe all of Chicago. He held Mickey a little tighter as he continued on.

“So, he’s a pretty fucking awful, mom died when I was 6, I found her overdosed in the tub. My dad beat us all but I think he knew I was gay because he always beat me the very worst. I stopped going to school when I was like thirteen, I was always so beat up, but Terry didn’t want DCF asking questions, so I dropped out and did what Milkoviches do. Even helping with the business, the beatings didn’t stop, when I was almost eighteen, he caught me fucking a guy, some rando, no one was supposed to be home for hours. The guy jumped out the window and I never saw him again. My dad beat me to the brink of death. My little sister found me, bleeding out on the floor and called the cops, even though that’s not what Milkoviches do. Terry got locked up for beating me but I couldn’t go back to that house. I was homeless for a while, I was lingering around the shop when Rylie noticed me. I was nineteen, still recovering from the beating, hooked on drugs and just a fucking mess. She and Carly helped me get my GED and gave me chance. I owe them my life, literally. Most days are okay but some nights, it all comes back”

Ian sighed and pulled Mickey as close to him as he could. They were both crying silent tears and Ian pressed a soft kiss into Mickey’s hair.

Mickey felt cold and raw and exposed, he had never told anyone this ever before. He had no idea what Ian was going to say or do. He didn’t know if he’d ever fucking see Ian again after the shit show that las the last twenty-four hours. But he just sat there, Ian holding him tight to his chest and pressing gentle kisses into his hair.

It was quiet for a while, both men just silent and finding comfort in their closeness, neither of them planning to move anytime soon.

“Do you want to meet my daughter?”

Mickey was sure he hadn’t heard Ian right. He has just told him how unbelievably fucked for life he was and this kid was asking if he wanted to meet his eleven month old daughter, what about him seemed like someone you want near your kid?

“Dude did you not just here how fucked I am? Why do you want me around your kid?”

“Because I love you and I know she’ll love you too”

Mickey nearly cried at those words, Ian saying he loved him. He didn’t think another man would ever tell him that, not that he was ready to say it back. Not that he didn’t love Ian, he just didn’t have that in him yet. So, he just said the next best thing.

“Yeah, I want to meet her”


	7. A Beautiful Family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so so much for your support!! it means the world!!

One week, it had been one week since Mickey had yes to meeting Molly and today was the day. Ian was so beyond excited. He had the day off and when Mickey got off of work, they were meeting at a restaurant in town. He got Molly ready for the day putting her in a light blue dress with floral ruffled bloomers and the cutest floral baby moccasins. Her bright red hair was tied together with a light blue bow and she was smiling so big, she was feeding off of Ian’s joy. Ian was packing up the diaper bag when Lip came into the kitchen.  
“So, you’re dating a Milkovich”

It wasn’t a question, more of a statement sprinkled with disapproval.

“Yes, Mickey is a Milkovich but he’s not a Milkovich like that Lip. If he were, I wouldn’t be letting him anywhere near my daughter. Also, I still don’t know if we’re dating”

Mickey could barely focus at work, thankfully he didn’t have anything super crazy to work on, mostly just some consultations and a few small pieces. He didn’t know why he was so nervous, it wasn’t like an eleven month old baby could form a complex opinion on him. Still, he knew this was a big deal. When he told Rylie and Carly they had both screamed and jumped around, so excited he was finally letting himself have some joy.

He finished his day up and went to the backroom to change into something different and after promising Carly and Rylie photos he headed out to the restaurant. 

The server didn’t even have to show him to where Ian and Molly were, we could see their red hair a mile away. He walked over, shaking he was so nervous and when he got to the table Ian got up and hugged him, which he wasn’t sure how he felt about that, but he let it happen. He sat down across from Ian at the table and looked over at the smiling baby in the highchair at the end of the table.

She looked just like Ian, same eyes hair and smile. She reached out towards Mickey and he looked over at Ian with his eyebrows raised.

“She wants you to pick her up”

“Is that okay?”

“Of course,”

Mickey carefully pulled the little girl out of her high chair and into his lap. She was such a happy baby and quickly went to work tracing her little hands over Mickey’s tattooed fore arm  
“Pi-ture”

Mickey was wide eyed, he had no idea she could talk

Ian smiled, the sight of Mickey holding his daughter had his heart ready to burst. 

The waitress came by and took their orders and Mickey just sat their playing with Molly who was absolutely obsessed with him. Ian was so happy just content to watch it happen. Once dinner was done they had gone for a walk, Molly, refusing to let Ian hold her or to ride in the stroller, was attached to Mickey’s hip as they walked to a local park. Once Molly had fallen asleep in Mickey’s arms he had carefully transferred her into the stroller and was just looking at her, eyes full of love while Ian gave him the exact look.

Ian took his hand and gently started tracing the same tattoos that Molly had traced earlier.

“What do they mean?”

“My knuckles I got done when I was maybe fifteen, not even. They’re just kinda a Milkovich thing. This one on my forearm is for my mom and the one on my chest is for my sister. The one on my back is just for me really, Rylie did it for me right after she hired me.”  
“Where’s your sister now?”

“She got out and for that I’m glad, but no one has heard from her in three years so at this point I don’t even know if she’s alive.”

Ian nodded, “One of my sister’s left too. She took care of us her whole life and left maybe a year before I had Molly. She needed to be her own person, we only hear from her on holidays and birthdays now. It’s weird since she raised us and now, she’s just gone but she deserved it”

They both sat in silence looking at the baby in front of them. She was sleeping so peacefully in her stroller.

“Thank you for doing this Mick”

“She’s a cute kid, wouldn’t mind doing it again some time”

At that Mickey watched Ian’s face light up. 

They were both sitting there silently just enjoying the moment when an older woman walked up to them.  
“You three are SUCH a beautiful family,” she said with a bright smile on her face. Ian just thanked her kindly and she walked away still smiling.

Mickey felt instant panic, he had never been perceived as gay before so publicly and he didn’t know how to feel about it. Part of him wanted to run as fast as he could but part of him wanted what she said to be true and he didn’t know how to make sense of it all.

Ian turned to him, a small nervous smile on his lips, “Do you want to go back to my place?”

“Yeah, I think I would”


	8. One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Major trigger warnings for both self harm and suicide towards the end of the chapter. nothing horribly graphic/ worse than anything shown on shameless but still can be triggering I know

The Gallagher house was like nothing Mickey had experienced in his life. It was loud and always full of people. Ian thankfully had his own room and so did his younger sister and then his brothers shared a room and Molly shared with his niece. It was always a full house and his older brother lived next door with his girlfriend and kid so they were always over and if they weren’t their neighbors Kev and V were. It was a lot for Mickey who had lived completely alone for the better part of the last five years. Even still he found himself going to his apartment less and less over the next couple of weeks, only going there for clothes or if he and Ian wanted to be a little more adventurous.

He didn’t want to admit that he loved what he and Ian were doing, even though he wasn’t really sure what that was and he’d never try and label it, he did really love what ever it was. There was something about just hanging out with Ian and his siblings and helping take care of Molly that just felt so right. His family even though they were insane were great. Carl was a cop which kinda sucked but he was still cool as fuck and Mickey loved hanging with him and Lip.

It had been a whirlwind last month. Partly because this whole being around people, being around a family thing, was still so new to Mickey but also because Ian had spent every second that wasn’t spent actively fucking talking about Molly’s first birthday party. Mickey was pretty sure Ian was big time compensating for the shitty childhood Mickey had gotten glimpses of through him and his siblings dark humor and childhood stories. He also just thought Ian was really one of the best dads in the southside and would give anything for that little girl.

Even still Mickey was ready for this party to be over because over the last week or so Ian had started acting really off from all the party stress and he wanted his normal happy Ian back. He figured coping with planning a party, working and dealing with your baby turning one had all taken their toll.  
So here he was now spending his Saturday with Mickey Mouse ears on and holding Molly who was in a Minnie Mouse costume and was far more interested in the mylar balloon than the carefully chosen decorations and the cake that Ian had spent three hours ordering because it had to be perfect.

Molly was on his hip when Tami came by and told him to smile, snapping a photo of him and Molly. Eventually he put her on the ground to play with her cousins and the other neighborhood kids that were there. It was weird for Mickey, being here at this family party for a one year old. A one year old who’s dad he was madly in love with, even though he could never get those words out.  
Molly was splaying with the kids after cake, which has required a change from a Minnie Mouse costume into a Minnie Mouse onesie and he found Ian sitting on the stairs. He looked preoccupied and like his mind was some where else. He sat down next to him pacing his hand discretely on Ian’s even though pretty much everyone in the house knew what was going on with them. Ian turned to Mickey and gave him a small smile and Mickey smiled back. They both looked over at Molly, she was so happy and full of joy. In that moment Mickey realized there was no-where else he’d rather be than right there.

**

It had been a long day and an even longer night trying to get two toddlers who were both hopped up on cake and party excitement down for bed. Mickey had spent most of the night cleaning up with Tami, Lip Liam and Carl while Ian and Debbie gave the girls baths and tried to calm them down. When it was finally time for bed Mickey came in to find Ian already curled up in bed facing the wall. Which was kind of unusual since Ian was part fucking koala and hung off of Mickey every night, but he figured he was just exhausted, and he went to bed.

It was two am when mickey woke up and he could just feel that something was very wrong. He could see that the bathroom light was on through a crack in the door and he could hear Molly over the baby monitor fussing which was something that Ian never let happen for more than thirty seconds. There was a knot in his stomach, but something told him that he needed to get up. He got up and walked to the bathroom but nothing in him was even remotely prepared for what he walked into.  
Ian was on the floor, his wrists slit open and he looked white as a ghost, his body slouched against the toilet. Mickey didn’t know what to do so he just screamed. Started screaming Ian’s name and trying his best to wake Ian up while also trying to stop the bleeding and praying he wasn’t too late.   
It wasn’t long before his siblings were in the doorway. Carl and Debbie were both on the bathroom floor helping him as soon as they saw what has happened and Liam was on the phone with the ambulance while apparently texting Lip because less than a minute later Lip was running up stairs joining them in the floor as they tried to stop the bleeding. 

Mickey was screaming Ian’s name the whole time, hoping maybe he’d open his eyes, show any sign of being okay but he never did and when the EMT’s came and they all stepped aside Mickey didn’t know what to do, he just stood there cold and covered in the man he loves blood.


	9. Waiting Games

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! thank you all so so much for your support it means the world and I love reading all of your reactions to this story please keep sharing them I love to see what you all think!!
> 
> this chapter is shorter and a little bit not graphic but mentions of blood and bipolar, kind of dealing with the immediate aftermath of last chapter

Mickey didn’t even know what he did next, he felt like his body was in autopilot. They all ran out the door and piled into various cars to head to the hospital. Kev and V met them there too. Mickey didn’t even register why he was getting such horrified looks from the others in the waiting room. They were all sitting there, covered in blood but Mickey hadn’t even taken the time to wipe any of it off so his face and hands were completely covered too. 

He was sitting there just frozen when Tami came, she had both Molly and Fred with her and a bag full of clothes. Lip walked over to Mickey and nodded at him to get up.

“No, can’t”

“Look man, you’re covered in blood and your daughter needs you so we’re all gonna go to the bathroom and fix that”

Mickey didn’t respond, just got up and followed the other guys to the bathroom, wordlessly changing into a pair of Ian’s sweatpants and one of his t shirts. Lip, like the dad he was, walked over and wiped off his face and even though part of him wanted to punch lip and tell him to fuck off, he didn’t have it in him and he just let it happen.

He walked back out and even though he had no idea what the fuck was happening or what he was supposed to do, he took Molly from Tami and held her close to him where she immediately fell asleep.

They all sat there, in silence, for three hours before anyone came to talk to them.

“Gallagher?”

The all looked up and the doctor walked over, “All of you are family?”

“Yes” Lip answered confidently and with a tone that made it clear he wouldn’t be taking any questions about that status.

“Alright, well he is stitched up and stable, we had to give him a few transfusions and we have him sedated now. He will be kept here for atleast seventy-two hours, and I read in his medical chart that he is Bipolar, is that correct”

“Uh yeah, our mom was too”

“Okay thank you”

“Can we see him?”

“Once he wakes up yes but only for a little while”  
They all nodded and sighed a breath of relief, he was alive. Mickey however relieved had some fucking questions.

“What the fuck is all this bipolar shit?”  
“Wait, Ian didn’t tell you” Debbie looked at Mickey shocked.

“Tell me fucking what?”

“Ian’s bipolar dude, just like our mom was, hell she did the same shit at thanksgiving when I was nine” Carl said.

“The fuck does this all mean?”

“When Ian was uh what seventeen?” Lip looked at his siblings for their agreement “He went off the fucking rails, went from ROTC kid to missing for a few months and then we found him stripping and he was off the fucking walls. It’s pretty much like really high highs and really low lows. He’s been on meds for years and been mostly stabilized but I guess not as well as we thought, or we wouldn’t be here”

Mickey didn’t know what to do or say or think. He wasn’t sure how he had missed Ian getting this low and he wasn’t sure why Ian had never told him about this, but Mickey was the one who said this was just sex after all so how mad could he be?

Mickey was trapped in his own spiral of thoughts when the doctor finally came back out.

“he’s awake”


	10. Love

Mickey wasn’t really sure what to do. He looked around at Ian’s siblings, this was so familiar from them between their mom and now Ian. They got up slowly and followed the doctor, Mickey followed their lead with Milly asleep in his arms. The doctor brought them to a room and they all packed inside.

Immediately Mickey felt like all of the air had been knocked out of his lungs. Ian was laying their with his arms both bandaged. He was still pale and his green eyes didn’t seem as bright. He was hooked up to wires and Mickey could feel how tired Ian was just by looking at him. Lip walked over and put a gentle hand on Ian’s shoulder. He watched as Ian scanned the room with tired eyes and he could feel when those tired green eyes landed on him. Ian seemed almost surprised. Was he surprised that mickey had come? Did he think he’d just leave ad never return?  
*  
Ian’s head was pounding and the lights were so bright. He knew what he had done. Part of him, wished he’d been successful but a much bigger part was thankful that he had been found but fuck did he hate what he had just put everyone through. He saw them all come in. it was weird, all he had put him through and they still stood by him and cleaned up the mess whether it was literal or figurative. They just stayed and loved him through the storm reminding him that he was more than the storm.

Still something in Ian was surprised to see Mickey. This was just sex after all which he knew they both knew was not the case anymore and stopped being the case the day Ian picked mickey up off that bathroom floor. Still to see him standing there holding his daughter, clearly had not slept and in clothes that he was pretty sure were his. Not only did he stay but he was standing there in front of him showing up for Ian and his daughter.   
*  
The room was pretty quiet, Lip had kissed Ian on the head and told him not to fucking scare him like that again, which it was clear he didn’t mean and that he’d take care of Ian a million times over if he needed it. Ian had tried to apologize and Debbie and Carl had both shut him down. After a few minutes Fred started to get fussy and so the Gallagher's all filed out of the room, leaving just Mickey and Ian. Lip giving Mickey a look as he left.

Ian was already starting to try and apologize to mickey but before he could get more than a word out Mickey walked over, carefully adjusting Molly on his hip and he bent down pressing a gentle kiss to Ian’s lips. 

“I love you, now get some fucking sleep, we’ll see you soon”

Ian was smiling still when Mickey left and even though he was stressed about what he had just done he was also the happiest he had ever been. As he left the room and followed the Gallagher's back to the group of cars they had all came in he didn’t even think twice to go back to the house with them, putting Molly back into her crib and joining the siblings at the kitchen table for coffee. 

“So, what now?” Mickey asked. It was clear this wasn’t anyone’s first time at the rodeo but Mickey needed to know what to do next

“Well Ian will be there for at least 72 hours, if not closer to a week. Debs will call his work tomorrow and notify them of the medical emergency, accept I’m pretty sure they already know since they came and got him. then we just wait it out and when he comes home his meds we’ll be adjusted so he’ll be like a zombie for a few days and we just take it day by day and hope for the best.”

“What about Molly?”

“Well we’ll all just take care of her best we can and figure out if one of us needs to take time of work or whatever to take care of her”

“Well, I mean I don’t know if you guys are okay with it but I mean I could always stay and help take care of her”

“Yeah, thanks man”

“Of course, I’ll go grab some clothes from my place today.”  
*  
Mickey was tired as shit but walking back into the Gallagher house after stopping by his apartment to Molly screaming with joy at seeing him made all his exhaustion worth it. He knew then that every ounce of energy he had was going into keeping this girl happy while Ian was away. He put his bag down near the stairs and sat on the couch, Molly quickly crawling over to him and demanding he pick her up.   
Carl and Liam were both in the living room too, watching some shitty movie and keeping an eye on Molly and Franny. Molly was still snuggled into his lap when Carl and Liam both looked at him and he could feel that he was about to be grilled.

“So, are you and Ian like, dating?” Carl asked confused.

“I don’t know man, this shits all new to me”

“Do you love him?” Liam asked. 

At that question Mickey felt like his throat was closing up, it wasn’t like he didn’t know the answer and hell he was pretty sure all of Ian’s siblings did too but saying it out loud to someone other than Ian terrified him,  
“Uh yeah”

“Good, he loves you too and even though you pretend to be tough I think you’re really good for him”

At that Liam got up and went upstairs and Mickey was left sitting there wondering why the eleven year old was the smartest of them.


	11. Homecoming

Ian was in the hospital for just over two weeks and in those two weeks Mickey’s life had changed so much. The first day he went in and told Rylie and Carly what happened they had screamed and then immediately started calling him a dad because he kinda sorta was. Then came the baby clothes and toys that they brought in everyday and when they found out about Fred and Franny Mickey was sure they had bought out every toy in Target.

Ina way it was a weird transition to go from like Ian’s whatever who was around the house and hung out but wasn’t like a functioning family member to being Molly’s primary care taker and a functioning member of the house. He really had never had a family like this, and the Gallagher’s were really a different kind of family as it was.

He’d fallen into a comfortable routine or work, then Gallagher house and spending his nights drinking and smoking with Carl, Lip and sometimes Debbie. He’d also grown to really like Lip’s girlfriend Tami too, she was kind of a bitch and Lip never questioned her but she was someone he genuinely enjoyed shooting the shit with.

So now it was two weeks later and Mickey was in the car with Lip on the way to go get Ian. He wasn’t exactly sure how Ian would feel or react to Mickey being there or the fact that Mickey had stayed to take care of Molly but he was honestly just hoping for the best. 

They were standing in the lobby waiting for Ian to come down, Lip had warned him again that Ian might be a fucking zombie and to not take literally anything he said too personally. They heard the doors open and Ian walked out. He was paler than usual somehow, in sweats and a black t-shirt. He looked tired, his eyes were red and there was something just slightly different about him. he walked up to them and hugged Lip. Who hugged him back and told him he loved him. it was after that that Ian seemed to even register that Mickey was there. He walked over and stood in front of him, “you came?”  
Mickey could tell from his tone and his demeanor that Ian was shocked that he had stayed and was there again now.

Lip looked over, “Ian he never left, he’s been at the house taking care of Molly for two weeks”

Ian looked at Mickey with his tired eyes that were suddenly filled with so much emotion. Mickey wasn’t exactly sure what to do in that moment because this was nothing his life had ever prepared him for but he did what he thought was best and opened his arms motioning for Ian to come close to him and they just stood there holding each other for what felt like an eternity.

That was until Lip told them that they in fact needed to leave and they walked to the car, both of them sitting in the back and Ian resting his head on Mickey’s shoulder. It wasn’t along ride home but part of Mickey never wanted it to end. At the same time he was so excited for Molly to get to see her dad again.as they pulled up to the house he helped Ian out of the car and they walked in, hand in hand, behind Lip. Everyone was waiting in the living room but it wasn’t anything big, nothing was expected of Ian. They were all just letting out the collective breath they had been holding for the last 2 weeks.

Carl was holding Molly and as soon as she saw Ian she screamed “Dada!” and he cracked a small smile as he took her into his arms, hugging her and kissing her bright red hair. Molly smiled and with out a beat gave Ian a kiss before reaching out for Mickey, “Daddy!” 

Everyone’s eyes were wide at that, Molly had never said that before and half the Gallagher's were afraid that Mickey was about to bolt and the other half were afraid Ian was about to be very upset. However, with out missing a beat Mickey just greeted the little girl, placing a kiss into her hair and kissing Ian on the temple.

Ian made the rounds hugging all of his siblings before announcing that he was going to go lay down, he handed Molly of to Lip so that she could play with Fred and headed towards the stairs, quietly asking Mickey if he would come up too.


	12. The ENd

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! just a short little chapter that didn't end up how I planed but I'm considering writing a follow up story of their life with Molly if people would be interested?

They slowly walked up the stairs and went into Ian’s room. Ian put his stuff down and then sat on the bed, silently Mickey did the same.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you,” Ian whispered, “about the bipolar. Sometimes I just want to be normal and forget about it. I was honestly afraid it might scare you off, hell sometimes it scares me off from myself.”

“Hey man, no need to apologize, we all got our shit. He’ll you’ve seen me having one of my episodes.” 

Mickey slowly moved to put his hand over Ian’s and Ian smiled a small smile.

“I love you Ian and I don’t know what that means for us and what the future looks like but I love you.”

“I love you too, but how can you still love me after all I’ve put you through?”

“My life was a lonely hell hole before you came into it, you and that little girl, hell this whole dysfunctional family have showed me a world I didn’t know existed. This isn’t a fairytale, we’re both fucked up but I love you and I love Molly and I’m in this for the long haul.”

“Definitely not a fairytale, but I’ve never wanted to keep writing a story more”


End file.
